1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of flow control and pressure reducing valves, check valves, gates and shutoff valves to control fluid flow in piping systems.
2. State of the Art
Currently, most valves are produced as single units, with each valve designed to perform a limited and specific function. A pressure reducing valve, however, can perform more than one function, but still it is a single valve. The pressure reducing valve requires two auxiliary valves; one at the inlet and other at the outlet to isolate it from the fluid when any internal part needs to be changed. When shut off valves, like butterfly valves or a ball valves, require maintenance, they are taken out of the line entirely. The same is true for many other types of valves. Valves which are used to control corrosive fluids require frequent maintenance. In the case of fixed flanged valves, it becomes difficult and time consuming to remove the valve from the line and to put it back. The influence of variable pressure and temperature conditions, coupled with the movement of the pipe itself when the valve is pulled out of the line, can bring about a change in the space which the valve occupied before its removal. Thus, for a flanged valve it becomes very problematic when one finds that space has been lost or gained for the valve, when an attempt is made to re-install the valve in its original place. Where valves are required to be taken out of the line frequently to change their seals, the difficulty becomes even more acute. To overcome this difficulty, GROVE VALVES REGULATORS AND FLOW CONTROL SYSTEMS supplies a sleeve valve in a cage which is removable from the cage. The cage is made of cross bolts holding the opposite two flanges of the cage together, which are attached to the ends of two pipes. Half of the cross bolts of the cage are removed before the entire valve body is removed from the cage. Then, the elastomeric sleeve is freed from the valve and the metallic sleeve, so that it can be replaced with a new elastomeric sleeve. Like any other valve, GROVE VALVES also require two extra shutoff valves at the inlet and at the outlet sides of the valve. Large size valves are heavy, and removing them from the pipe line requires special equipment. It is much easier to take the light-weight component out of the cage than to take the whole valve unit out.
To mitigate surges and water hammers in the pipe line, shutoff valves are operated at very slow speed. In city water lines, valves of 8 inch size and larger take quite a bit of the operator""s time. In larger size valves, usually two men are sent to turn off the shutoff valve, because it takes time and energy to turn them off. When the water line breaks, and two people go out to shut off the valve, their travel time plus twenty minutes to turn off the valve, poses a serious problem. By that time serious economic losses do result. In such situations, a valve which can be turned off quickly, in the shortest possible time has great economic merit. The invented integrated multipurpose caged valve, which has a wider range of applications and economic merit, is a compact valve, having features that allows it to be a shutoff valve, to isolate its own inner replaceable components, which are valves themselves. Said inner replaceable valves can be pressure reducing valves or pressure relief valves or check valves or auxiliary shut of valves. To achieve all that is described above; i.e. the economic advantages, the compactness, the ease of valve maintenance and operation, and the speed by which a shutoff valve can be operated on, the new invention consolidates valves as components in a single valve unit by integrating them in a cage. Said cage is kept permanently in the pipe line by means of connectors such as pipe flanges tied together with bolts and nuts, or pipe couplings. The cage can alternatively be kept permanently in line by welding the two ends of the cage to the two opposite pipes in the pipe line.
From here on, major valve components will be designated by xe2x80x9cdegreexe2x80x9d, where each degree is a step in the order of the component""s assemblage in the valve unit. The minor components, i.e. any actuators, needle valves, control pilot valves, or secondary seals, are not assigned any degree under this classification. The integration of all of the components constitutes the entire valve body. Here after, the entire valve body will be referred to as xe2x80x9cvalvexe2x80x9d.
The first degree component is the cage itself, and it is installed permanently in the pipe line by connecting its two opposite piped ends to the ends of the two pipes being connected. The cage also has a inner cavity to receive other major components of the valve. From here on the cage will be referred to as xe2x80x9ccagexe2x80x9d only, and the inner cavity will be referred to as winner cavityxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cinner cavity of the cagexe2x80x9d.
The second degree component is a primary seal (including at least two tieing sealing bolts), which is an elastomeric pipe (or tube) tubular seal, and it has two opposite openings and is situated between two matching openings, one in the inner cavity of the cage, and an other opening in the wall of cylindrical shut off valve. From here the elastomeric pipe tube seal will be referred to as the xe2x80x9cprimary sealxe2x80x9d or tubular seal.
The third degree component is a rotatable cylindrical shut off valve, which has at least two openings that match and correspond to said two openings of the elastomeric tube seal. The shut off valve also provides a preferably flat seat or two opposite flat seats concentric to its axis for an elastomeric diaphragm or two opposite diaphragms resembling the shape of a big hat. Here after, the cylindrical valve will be referred as the xe2x80x9cshut off valvexe2x80x9d.
The fourth degree component is an elastomeric diaphragm (or diaphragms), for the diaphragm valve, which resembles a big hat. The elastomeric diaphragm functions as a pressure reducing valve, a pressure relief valve, and a check valve. Hereafter, the elastomeric diaphragm will be referred as the xe2x80x9cdiaphragmxe2x80x9d. In the fourth degree component are also included piston valves, which can be pressure reducing and shut off valves.
The fifth degree component is a valve drive which has a shaft to rotate the third degree component, which is the cylindrical shutoff valve.
A sixth degree component constitutes one or two cover plates which are held to the valve by means of bolts or by means of camming jaws, which are invented by the inventor under U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,387,017 and 5,868,441 to close the inner cavity of the cage which accommodates the inner components from the second degree to the fifth degree. As explained above, the valve will mostly be described by the terms: valve, cage, inner cavity, primary (tubular) seal, shut off valve, diaphragm or diaphragms, piston or pistons, valve drive, and cover plate or cover plates.
According to the invention, the Integrated Multipurpose Caged Valve has a valve body which includes a cage for enclosure, to hold in place, and to enclose, separable integrated valve components. The centrally located inner cavity in the cage constitutes a circular tubular cavity designed to receive and to hold in place, major components of the second degree to the fifth degree. On opposite sides, the cage has two pipe pieces extending concentric to its longitudinal horizontal axis. Said two pipe pieces are provided with connecting means in their end portions which are used to connect the two ends of two opposite pipes. The means to connect the cage to the pipes can be flanges, grooves or threads, or rotatable camming jaws couplings invented by the inventor under the above cited U.S. patent Ser. Nos. 5,387,017 and 5,868,441.
The valve, from its components, can be assembled in the shop or at the site. The valve can be manufactured by casting, machining, fabricating or any combination of the above. The valve can be manufactured from different types of metals or plastics or from any combination of both materials.
The inner cavity of the cage opens at least on its one end to receive major valve components of second to fifth degrees. The inner cavity can be open ended on both of its ends. Thus, either one or two cover plates are provided to close the inner cavity, depending on whether one or two ends of the inner cavity are open. The axis of the shut off valve and the elastomeric diaphragm or diaphragms which the shut off valve accommodates, coincide with the vertical axis of the inner cavity of the cage, and a common plane of these coincided axes intersect vertically with the longitudinal horizontal axis of the cage, thus dividing the valve into two equal symmetrical sections.
The inner cavity of the cage has two opposite openings concentric to its longitudinal horizontal axis. These openings are enclosed and encircled by two said opposite pieces of pipes of the cage.
As mentioned above the inner cavity of the cage is provided with a cover plate or plates which are held in place to the cage by means of bolts. The covers can also be held in place by means of rotatable camming jaws invented by the inventor under above cited U.S. patent Ser. Nos. 5,387,017 and 5,868,441.
The cylindrical shut off valve, along with the hat shaped elastomeric diaphragm or diaphragms, is rotatable inside the inner cavity of the cage. The inner space of the cylindrical shut off valve between two elastomeric diaphragms is vertically partitioned into two equal halves by means of a partitioning plate or partitioning pipe. In the first case, this plate is made integral with the cylindrical wall of the shut off valve. In the second case, said inner space is partitioned by a pipe integrally held in place by means of two running flanges, with one flange on one side of said pipe and the other flange on the opposite side of said pipe (which flanges may be constructed as left over sections of the said partitioning plate after removing a central portion of said plate to fit the diameter of said pipe, with said pipe welded to said flanges) where said flanges are integrally connected to the cylindrical wall of, and to the two seats of, the shut off valve. It is pointed out here that instead of a circular pipe opening, any other openings of different geometry, such as, square, rectangular or oval are equally contemplated. In the first case the cylindrical wall of the shutoff valve is provided with two opposite openings which match, in size, with the two opposite openings of the cage and with the two opposite openings of the primary seal. In the second case four openings are provided in said wall, where two openings are provided by the inlet and outlet openings of the partitioning pipe. These four openings are located circumferentially at 90 degrees apart. When the shut of valve is provided with one or two elastomeric diaphragms, then the valve can function as a pressure reducing and check valve simultaneously, or as a shut off valve and pressure relief valve simultaneously. If the diaphragm or diaphragms of the shut off valve need replacement then the shut off valve can be rotated 90 degrees to block the fluid from entering the shut off valve while allowing fluid flow through the partitioning pipe, and therefore still allowing fluid flow through the pipe line. It is clear that when two valves are put in series, the diaphragms of either shut of valve can be changed, and the flow can be maintained through the pipe line, and it is also clear that no bypass will be needed. This elimination of the need for a bypass results in the elimination of the requirement for the extra space that parallel bypass configurations require.
Means, such as wedge bearings, roller bearings, ball bearings, or bolt bearings are provided to keep the shut-off valve rotatably locked inside the inner cavity of the cage, and means are also provided to limit and restrict the rotation of the shut off valve beyond a certain point. Wedge and bolt bearings will be explained under the description of the drawings. It is pointed out here that in certain applications said bearings may not be needed.
The cylindrical shut off valve with a diaphragm or diaphragms, can also be modified to accommodate a piston, or two opposite pistons, by providing a second concentric cylinder within its inner cylindrical space. The shut off valve and the said second concentric cylinder are connected by means of a reducing pipe. Said second concentric cylinder can be cast integrally with the shut off valve and with the seats provided by the shut off valve for the diaphragms, or it can be fabricated by welding a cylinder after excavating said seats. Each piston is axially moveable between the seat and the flat cover plate, and each said piston is connected to its corresponding said seat by means of barbs or stems of bolts, with a loose slidable fit, which seat is an integral part of the cylindrical valve. Said two opposite pistons are mounted on a common shaft. By means of said shaft the shut off valve can be rotated to close or to open multiple openings in the body of the cage. Thus, the invented shut off valve in a cage, also can accommodate piston valves to control fluid as pressure reducing valves, and the shut of valve can close or open fluid flow to multiple openings in the body of the cage.
It is an object of the invention to provide a cage for the shut off valve, wherein said shut off valve can accommodate more than one type of valves.
It is an object of the invention to provide a cage for the shut off valve from which a diaphragm or diaphragms, or a piston or pistons, can be removed for replacement.
It is an other object of this invention to provide a valve which has its own integrated shut off valve to block the fluid flow from the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, simultaneously, to either diaphragm or piston valve or valves, thus eliminating the need of external gates and reducers between the inlet and outlet pipes and the valve.
It is an other object of the invention to provide a valve with enhanced volummetric fluid capacity.
It is an other object of the valve that, by removing the cover plate, the old diaphragm (or the old piston) can be replaced with the new diaphragm (or the new piston) while the shut off valve keeps the fluid blocked.
It is an other object of the invention, that when the invented valve employs a pipe partitioning means (shown in FIG. 5), and when two such valves are installed in series adjacent to each other in the pipe line, then during the process of replacing a diaphragm or diaphragms in one of said two valves, the fluid flow can be regulated and kept uninterrupted, by the second of said two valves, thus eliminating the need of bypass.
It is an other object of this invention that the diaphragm valve can function as a pressure reducing or a pressure relief valve.
It is an other object of this invention that the diaphragm valve functions as a shut-off valve, and simultaneously acts as a pressure relief valve to damp out any surge creating water hammer. The surge is relieved not by removing liquid from the line, but by keeping the fluid in the pipe line, thus requiring no outer place to which the liquid is disposed off, as is the current conventional approach.
It is an other object of the invention to reduce the economic cost of the valves when they are integrated in a single valve unit. Use of the same cage for different valves helps to achieve economy of scale.
It is an other object of the invention to provide a very quite valve by damping the sound frequencies with the primary elastomeric seal and the elastomeric diaphragms.
It is an other object of the invention to provide a cage for the valve, where its two opposite ends can be connected by means of connectors, or welded, to the ends of the inlet and outlet pipes respectively, so that the cage can remain permanently in the pipe line.
It is an other object of the invention to provide a valve, which does not need reducers to be connected to the inlet and outlet pipes.
It is an other object of the invention to provide a valve, where only a single needle valve and a single pilot control valve could be enough to control flow control means, which flow control means are elastomeric diaphragms or pistons